Quentin Baker casually threw a cup over. The flow of time in the contaminated area was different from outside; only fifteen minutes had passed outside, but several days might have gone by inside.

"Um..." The technician timidly raised his hand. "It seems the contamination level has dropped."

The contamination level, which had started at a peak of 90%, was now gradually decreasing.

88%, 80%, 71%...

Quentin Baker frowned. He pushed the technician aside and walked up to the machine himself, his hands flying across the keyboard. Yes, the numbers really were going down.

"Where are the demon hunters now?" Quentin Baker asked.

Evelyn Grant, who had been standing outside the door with her arms crossed, finally chimed in, "They just set out. Estimated time to the designated location is seventeen minutes."

The demon hunters hadn't even arrived, yet the contaminated area was already being purified.

"Report!" A subordinate announced, "We've made contact with the three-person cleaner squad leader, Megan Carter, and confirmed all three are alive."

Quentin Baker asked coldly, "Who's inside?"

Evelyn Grant held a panel in her hand. "Two cleaners."

Quentin Baker took the panel and glanced at it, then frowned deeply.

The panel displayed information on the two people. Nathan Thompson's data was utterly unremarkable, especially his mental value—it was so low that staying in a heavily contaminated area for an hour could result in brain death.

None of his skills stood out; otherwise, he wouldn't be in the cleaner squad instead of the demon hunter team. The other person's information was even more blank—there was nothing at all.

All they knew was the name Nancy Clark.

"A newcomer?" Quentin Baker asked.

Only probationary newcomers had no data collected.

Evelyn Grant: "Yes, I just processed her onboarding today."

A newly interviewed recruit, still in the probationary period, with no time yet for any data collection. Nancy Clark's task today should have been to follow along and learn how to clean, slack off a bit, collect a meager wage, and wait for the cleaning center's next employment notice.

Not to single-handedly do both the cleaning and the demon hunter's job!

This was getting bizarre. The cleaning center's data was usually very accurate. In eighty years, the last error had been because of that person.

Nancy Clark had just started today, happened to run into a data error, and accidentally entered a D-level contamination zone. With no weapon support and no reserve knowledge, not only did she survive, she even purified the area?

Good thing Quentin Baker wasn't the demon hunter leader, or else his face would have been slapped swollen by these two cleaners today.

Evelyn Grant: "Honestly, I'm baffled too."

Evelyn Grant had been just as shocked as Quentin Baker when she got the news. She had personally handled Nancy Clark's onboarding. With no data to go on, Evelyn Grant could only rely on her own experience, and from her interactions, she felt Nancy Clark was very bold.

Being bold was a good thing—it meant she was well-suited for this line of work.

But she hadn't expected a series of "accidents" to follow, with Nancy Clark at the center of every one. The only reasonable explanation was that Nancy Clark had been "chosen" by "it."

Evelyn Grant said, "Grace Reed wants to see you."

Grace Reed, head of the Operations Department, managed the demon hunters of District 103. Their departments interacted frequently, but in some ways, not so closely.

"And the head of the Cleaning Department, George Foster," Evelyn Grant added.

These three, plus Evelyn Grant—she was the center's assistant. Clearly just an assistant position, yet she coordinated the entire center.

Quentin Baker frowned. The cleaning center was about to undergo a major change.

Chapter 9: S-Class Mental Value

An hour had passed since the containment of the contamination spores. Nancy Clark's final purification value was 645, and the subsequent "body collection" work was left to the later cleaning team.

Nancy Clark was notified by the center that she had to undergo data collection. She had no objections—after all, her performance had indeed been strange. If she were part of the center, she'd want to send herself to the lab for research too.

She just wondered if they'd be able to figure out she had a system.

"Don't worry," Megan Carter reassured Nancy Clark, "During data collection, your salary will be paid as usual—generally 15,000 new coins."

Nancy Clark: "..."

She'd been a bit annoyed, but was instantly soothed by the money. Two people came specifically to assist, taking away the contained contamination spores and now asking for her helmet.

"Miss Clark, could you please hand over your helmet? It's needed for data collection."

The helmet had a recording function and some basic data monitoring. Even without internet access, these features still worked. They had already taken Nathan Thompson's helmet and just needed Nancy Clark's.

It was, after all, property of the cleaning center. Nancy Clark handed the helmet over. Instead of going to the 49th floor cleaning department, she was taken straight to the 66th floor.

Ding—

The elevator doors slid open, and a doctor in a white coat came to greet her.

"Miss Clark, this way please."

Nancy Clark followed him around a corner, down a corridor, and saw a sign: Observation Room A Side. There was an A and B side to the observation room?

The male doctor pushed open a door, revealing the interior space.

Nancy Clark raised an eyebrow. She had expected the observation room to be cold and "prison-like," but to her surprise, it was actually "fresh and cozy."